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Windows 8 Release Date In October 2012 Or Early 2013

Based on the development cycle of Microsoft and the public beta launch schedule, Windows 8 seems to be headed for an October launch but that can be delayed and pushed back some time next year.

Windows 8 May Not Arrive This Year

This is not a rumor but mostly an observation made industry watchers who think that Microsoft might miss the train like it did with Windows Vista and launch past the October launch schedule. The Public Beta that is supposed to come out this month is supposed to be the last milestone in the development cycle of the OS and it will signal that Redmond is on track for an October release. Right in time for the holidays with a barrage of new and exciting devices supporting it. Everybody’s happy as can be.

And then there’s dystopia — Microsoft misses October and then the next releasable time is 2013; meaning no Windows 8 this year. But given the demand in the market for this new OS, it is going to be yet another disaster for Microsoft. If we calculate by Windows 7 schedule, the Public Beta should have been out by now. Back then it was released in early January. So this is already somewhat late. Right now the Public Beta might come in March instead of February as promised.

Now, factoring in the greater complexity of the development of Windows 8, it is clear to see why many experts are predicting a delayed launch that misses the holiday and comes to the market when everybody has a blown their yearly budget for buying gadgets as gifts.

Right now, we haven’t even seen anything about the ARM version and that is also supposed to make it for the commercial launch. So with this being the state of affairs, Microsoft is clearly under a lot of performance pressure. However, given the gravity of this release, Microsoft would rather miss one Holiday season than botching up the release with a buggy OS. So there’s a strong possibility of the release being delayed.